It really says a lot about the Biden administration’s priorities when instead of cracking down on hard drug use and the crimes associated with it, they decide to outlaw a popular e-cigarette product.
Meanwhile, Biden’s embattled son Hunter is allowed to smoke crack on video without any repercussions, but those who’re trying to quit smoking by using smokeless alternatives will no longer be able to do so.
The Food and Drug Administration is expected to announce that Juul electronic cigarette products can no longer be sold in the United States.
Biden’s FDA also unveiled a regulatory plan in April for banning the sale of menthol cigarettes and cigars, marking a major step forward for the administration, which proposed the ban in April 2021. Still, the process is lengthy and is not expected to be finalized until 2023, with the ban set to take effect a year thereafter.
The decision to pull Juul products comes after a two-year review of the company’s application to keep its tobacco- and menthol-flavored products in the U.S. market, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The FDA initially targeted the company for its role in perpetuating a new wave of teenage nicotine use, driven by appealing flavors. Acting in loco parentis, the Biden administration believes it can make better decisions for America’s youth than their actual parents.
Juul conceded to the FDA in 2019 when it pulled all fruit and dessert flavors from the market, though it was permitted to keep marketing menthol- and tobacco-flavored nicotine pods used in the vaping device.
The decision signals the hard line the Biden administration is taking on the teenage vaping epidemic. Some 2.55 million middle and high school students use tobacco products, including flavored electronic cigarettes, according to the 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey.
[source: The Washington Examiner]
The agency’s plan to restrict e-cigarette sales will rankle users as well as tobacco companies and libertarian groups. The Cato Institute, for instance, argued in 2019 amid a Trump-era crackdown on Big Tobacco that efforts to limit teenage vaping will adversely affect adult smokers looking for a means to quit.
The American Vapor Manufacturers Association, a trade organization for the vaping industry, slammed the agency’s decision, arguing that adults will transition to combustible cigarettes when vaping products are no longer available.
“FDA’s apparent intention to outlaw Juul is the latest sorry example of the agency’s campaign of regulatory arson against the nicotine vaping products that millions of Americans rely on as an alternative to cigarettes,” AVMA President Amanda Wheeler said.
After the previous two years of horrific pandemic measures and forced lockdowns, you’d hope the Biden administration would perhaps put their anti-fun push on the back burner while Americans get their bearings once again.
But, no. We’re still forced to live in a liberal society with politicians who seek to control our private lives.
Author: Ann Taylor
